Osteochondromas are the most common benign tumors of the bone and are usually asymptomatic. In rare cases, they can present as a cause of lower extremity vascular injury in young patients. We report ...a case of a 24-year-old man who presented with an acute onset of exercise-induced lower extremity claudication and was found to have a popliteal artery occlusion secondary to a femoral exostosis. The patient underwent an excision of the exostosis and resection of the occluded segment with primary reanastomosis of the popliteal and superficial femoral arteries. Successful treatment of patients with vascular complications secondary to osteochondromas has generally required early surgical intervention.
Endovenous ablation of great (GSV) and short saphenous vein (SSV) reflux has become the initial procedure for most patients with symptomatic venous insufficiency, and perforator ablation is ...increasingly used to assist in healing venous ulceration. Many patients have comorbid conditions, which require long-term anticoagulation with warfarin; however, the impact of a long-term anticoagulation therapy on endovenous ablation procedures is not understood. This study aims to determine the effects of chronic anticoagulation on the outcomes of endovenous ablation procedures in patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
Consecutive patients undergoing endovenous ablation for to Clinical severity (CEAP) class 2 through 6 CVI between January 1, 2005 and May 1, 2011 were evaluated; 781 patients with chronic venous reflux underwent 1,180 endovenous ablation procedures. We identified 45 patients receiving long-term anticoagulation therapy who underwent 71 endovenous ablation procedures, including 37 GSVs, 12 SSVs, and 22 perforator vein procedures. All patients underwent wound examination and duplex ultrasonography within 48 to 72 hours. Outcomes evaluated included closure rate and postoperative complications.
The mean age of the patients was 69.7 ± 13 years. Most patients treated presented with active venous ulceration (59% CEAP 6). Indications for anticoagulation included atrial fibrillation (n = 9, 20%), previous deep venous thrombosis (n = 16, 36%), hypercoagulable state (n = 9, 20%), prosthetic valve (n = 2, 4%), and others (n = 9, 20%). All patients receiving warfarin therapy (100%) underwent a postprocedure ultrasonography, which confirmed the successful closure of the GSVs and SSVs; successful initial perforator closure was achieved in 59% of patients (13/22). Repeat perforator ablation yielded a closure rate of 77%. Compared with a matched cohort group of 35 patients (61 perforators) undergoing perforator ablation without anticoagulation, treated during the same period, there was no significant difference in the rates of successful closure between the groups. No patients developed postoperative deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolus. No additional thrombotic complications were noted. Three patients (4.2%) developed a small hematoma after the procedure, which resolved with conservative treatment. No patients required postoperative hospital admission, and no postprocedure deaths occurred.
Based on our protocol, patients with severe CVI who were receiving long-term warfarin therapy can be treated safely and effectively with endovenous radiofrequency ablation for incompetent GSVs, SSVs, and perforator veins. Long-term warfarin therapy did not have a significant effect on perforator closure rates compared with no anticoagulation.
Duplex surveillance of arterial stents has focused on detecting in-stent restenosis. Although velocity is commonly reported, that differs from blood flow, and patency of arterial prostheses is ...flow-dependent. Preliminary evaluation was performed to determine if postprocedure peak systolic blood flow (PSF) through stents correlates with rate of repeat intervention at 12 months.
Retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing arterial stent placement was performed. Demographics, comorbidities, stent size, postprocedure duplex information, and repeat intervention rates were recorded. PSF was calculated by using peak systolic velocity (PSV) and stent dimensions.
Consecutive stents (N = 35) were placed in 27 patients (mean age, 72.6 y ± 14). Twenty stents were free from repeat intervention (FR) and 15 required repeat intervention (RR) at 12 months. There was a significant difference between FR and RR groups with respect to initial in-stent PSV and PSF (92.5 cm/s for FR vs 43.7 cm/s for RR P < .002; 1,918 mL/min for FR vs 722 mL/min for RR P < .0001). PSF showed sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy rates of 92%, 82%, and 86.2%, respectively, for predicting repeat intervention, versus 83%, 71%, and 76% for PSV. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed a greater area under the curve for PSF versus PSV (0.965 vs 0.859).
PSF from an initial postprocedure duplex study accurately correlates with need for repeat stent intervention at 12 months. PSV had a lower sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. This preliminary finding must be confirmed by prospective studies in individual vascular beds and larger patient populations. A new approach to stent surveillance is suggested.
Objectives Carotid artery angioplasty and stenting (CAS) is now routinely performed with embolic protection devices, yet little is known about the compositional characteristics of the captured ...embolic debris and whether the type or quantity of debris correlates with patient, lesion, or operator characteristics. This study examined the embolic debris generated during CAS using electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Methods Between 2003 and 2005, CAS for carotid stenosis was performed in 175 patients. Cerebral protection devices were used in all but three cases. Sixty-four consecutive unselected microporous filters from procedures performed by a single vascular surgeon were obtained for analysis. Captured particulate debris within the protection devices was quantified (number and mean size of particles) by light microscopy for all filters. Twenty protection devices (9 symptomatic, 11 asymptomatic patients) were processed for electron microscopy and EDS to assess morphology, cellular composition, and calcium content of debris. Results Captured particulate matter was present in 49 filters (77%) and included particles measuring 200 to 500 μm in 72%, 500 to 1000 μm in 53%, and >1000 μm in 33%. The mean number of captured particles was 6.9, and mean size was 248 ± 150 μm. Univariate analysis revealed that sequential patient cohort and filter type were correlated with the number (but not size) of captured particles. The number of particles significantly decreased after the first cohort of 20 patients (11.5 particles) compared with the second (5.0 particles, P = .023) and third (5.2 particles, P = .029) cohorts. The type of captured debris ranged from sheets of damaged red blood cells without other components to clumps of recently activated platelets with early fibrin crosslinking to plaque debris coated with well-organized coalescing areas of platelet thrombus. Platelet activation was more common in symptomatic patients (78%) than asymptomatic patients (27%; P < .05). Despite the presence of calcified lesions in six patients whose filters were analyzed by EDS, <1% of energy emission on EDS of scanned particulate debris fell within the emission range of calcium, indicating the presence of minimal calcium in the embolic particles. Conclusions Particulate embolic debris is released in most patients during CAS and can measure >1000 μm in one third of patients. The number of particles may decrease with increasing operator experience with CAS. Debris captured during CAS with embolic protection exhibits a range of cellular and acellular components on electron microscopy, with a higher prevalence of platelet activation evident in symptomatic patients.
Percutaneous endovascular aneurysm repair (PEVAR) can be performed with high technical success rates and low morbidity rates. Several peer-reviewed papers regarding PEVAR have routinely combined ...heparin reversal with protamine before sheath removal. The risks of protamine reversal are well documented and include cardiovascular collapse and anaphylaxis. The aim of this study is to review outcomes of patients who underwent PEVAR without heparin reversal.
All patients who underwent percutaneous femoral artery closure after PEVAR between 2009-2012 without heparin reversal were reviewed. Only patients who underwent placement of large-bore (12- to 24-French) sheaths were included. Patient demographics, comorbidities, operative details, and complications were reported.
One hundred thirty-one common femoral arteries were repaired using the Preclose technique in 76 patients. Fifty-five patients underwent bilateral repair and 21 underwent unilateral repair. The mean age was 73.9±9.1 years. The mean heparin dose administered was 79±25.4 U/kg. The mean patient body mass index was 27.5±4.8 kg/m2. Ultrasound-guided arterial puncture was performed in all patients. Average operative times were 196.5±103.3 min, and the mean estimated blood loss was 277.6 mL. Four femoral arteries (3%) required open surgical repair after failed hemostasis with ProGlide closure (Abbott Vascular, Abbott Park, IL). Two patients required deployment of a third ProGlide device with successful closure. Two patients had small (<3 cm) groin hematomas that had resolved at the time of the postoperative computed tomography scan. No pseudoaneurysms or arteriovenous fistulas developed in our patient cohort. No early or late thrombotic complications were noted. One patient (1.3%) with a ruptured aneurysm died 48 hours after endovascular repair unrelated to femoral closure.
PEVAR may be performed with low patient morbidity after therapeutic heparinization without heparin reversal. Femoral artery repair after the removal of large-diameter sheaths using the Preclose technique can be performed in this setting with minimal rates of early and late bleeding or thrombosis.